Pre-screening drinks with two lovely girlfriends in the city, a stroll to the opulent Regent Theatre in the light, misting rain, walking the red carpet completely and appropriately ignored by the media throng, and settling into my seat to await a new Australian film: my 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival experience has begun.
This year I've gone slightly crazy and booked 54 sessions on my media pass - I may not get to them all but I'll have damned fun trying. Well, fun until exhaustion and/or hysteria set in. In which case you'll find me hiding behind a couch, shivering in abject terror at the very mention of the words 'choctop' and 'popcorn'. But until such time, let the MIFF madness begin!
The festival kicked off on Thursday night with the world premiere of a bland new Australian film by debut director Amanda Jane, The Wedding Party, a Melbourne-based romantic comedy about family, love and the choices we make in life. The movie focuses on the gormless Steve Thompson (Josh Lawson) and his dysfunctional suburban family, including his kinky brother Colin (Geoff Paine), sister Lisa (Nadine Garner) and her husband Tommy (Adam Zwar), and their separated parents, Roger (Steve Bisley) and Rose (Heather Mitchell).
On the verge of financial ruin, Steve agrees to marry a residency-seeking Russian waitress, Anna Petrov (Isabel Lucas) in return for a hefty sum of cash. The only problem is, Steve is still in love with his girlfriend, Jacqui (Kestie Morassi) who he has separated from until he can sort his finances out; and Anna is in love with Vlad (Nikolai Nikolaeff).
Further complications ensue when the Thompson family discover Steve's impending nuptials. His plans for a quiet registry wedding are scotched as his family take on organising an extravagant church ceremony, setting the stage for what should be a delightful rom-com romp.
What a pity then that the end result is instead a laboured movie populated by two-dimensional characters whom it's difficult to care about; a romantic comedy that is neither touching nor witty save for the (very) occasional funny line.
Despite a talented cast who do their best with the material to hand, The Wedding Party is never more than sporadically entertaining. Characters lack depth and detail - for example, it's never clearly established what Steve's business is, nor why he is bordering on financial ruin - and we care so little about them despite the hoops the plot makes them jump through, so that by the time the climax arrives there is no sense of dramatic tension to engage the audience in the proceedings.
The screenplay by writer Christine Bartlett is thinly constructed and cliché-ridden, and a monologue by teenager Eve (Nikita Rover-Pritchard) which bookends the film is gratingly unnecessary. Indeed, her whole character - and her fledgling relationship with a teenaged boy - feels superfluous; were it cut from the film, it would definitely assist the story's pacing.
The plethora of subplots seems strangely underdeveloped (though points must go to Adam Zwar and Nadine Garner for at least investing their protagonists' subplot with some real chemistry) and at 115 minutes, due to uninspired direction from its first-time director, the film definitely feels too long, rendering what should have been a sharply observed rom-com flabby and weak.
I can see why MIFF chose to open the festival with The Wedding Party – it’s a very Melbourne film, replete with familiar images of suburban life, and it was in part financed by the MIFF Premiere Fund – but I can’t see it enjoying much in the way of box office success once it finds an Australian distributor.
'Deeply underwhelming' was the average reaction from friends and colleagues after the film; a very poor start to what promises to otherwise be an excellent festival. That said, the after-party the followed (and the after-after party!) was great fun; so much fun that I didn't crawl out of bed until midday on Friday, and didn't feel human again to much later in the afternoon!
The Wedding Party (Dir. Amanda Jane, produced by Nicole Minchin, Australia, 2010)
RICHARD'S RATING: two stars
12 comments:
what happened to abstinence (not absinthe)?
Abstinence is taking a holiday while the film festival is on.
Went looking for reviews for this film because everyone I saw it with loved it and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a lifeless, insular, industry film, but a fresh, funny and frank new comedy about sex. You'd have to be deaf and blind to not have heard the laughter and connection that the audience was having with this movie. Just read screen hub and screen daily reviews (by real reviewers) which were glowing. Perhaps you should worry less about whether the media are ignoring you on the way into the theatre (why wouldn't they?) and give more attention to the audience's response which was strong and positive.
Thanks for your comment Anon - the 'ignored by the media' reference was actually a joke, but I'm guessing it doesn't read that way; I'll edit it, thanks.
As to reactions from the audience - yes, I heard lots of laughter coming from some sections of the audience, but I also spoke to dozens of people afterwards who had the same response to the film as myself. I haven't read the reviews you mention - I'll check them out, thanks - but I can also point you towards numerous other negative reviews, should you be interested in reading them.
And I really should take you to task on your 'by real reviewers' comment, Anon. If by 'real' you mean they get paid to write film criticism, well guess what? So do I - as well as reviews of theatre, comedy, etc. I'm also a paid-up member of the Australian Film Critics Association. Is that 'real' enough for you?
In other words, there's no need to be snide just because you disagree with my opinion.
No offense intended. Probably started on the wrong foot with your review with your 'ignored by the media' comment - I was looking forward to an opinion and it seemed to be all about you. However, if it was meant ironically, that sets an entirely different tone. Feel free to retract that part of my comment since your happy to edit yours! :)
Did you review Red Hill? I don't see it anywhere?
Hi Kim - you can read my review of Red Hill here:
http://bit.ly/afH7Vl
I cant stand it when reviewers or bloggers posing as reviewers comment on what their supposed friends thought of a film in discussions after. You are supposed to review a film on its on merits or lack off and trying to support your own argument by saying that the people you talked to colleagues and friends thought what you thought is just weak and makes me question if you have any original thought of your own. I notice also that the friends you mention Cinema Autopsy and Screen Machine give very similar bloggs/reviews to yours on this film, which makes me wonder if you were the ones talking together at the after party.
The problem is that this film went down a treat with the audience, and you may say that there were cast and crew there but there, but even if there were 100 of them there were still 2100 other people there who most were laughing along with this film.
As David Williamson says ' Nothing enrages a drama critic more than the sight of an audience enjoying themselves'.
I thought this film was refreshing and fantastic, and I look forward to its success in Australian proving you and your friends/colleagues.
Sorry it bugs you Joseph, but hey, this is my personal blog, so I'll write what I like; and if that includes referencing discussions I had with a dozen or so people at the opening night after-party, so be it.
As to The Wedding Party, glad to hear you enjoyed it. Would you care to articuate why? I really would like to hear what you thought was 'refreshing and fantastic' about it.
Neither you nor Anonymous above have actually engaged with the points I mention in my review. Let's talk about those, shall we, and the film itself, rather than what you perceive to be flaws in my writing style?
What's the point in engaging in a debate about a film with someone who tries to defend their arguments with - 'everyone I spoke to feels the same way'. I could argue that everyone I spoke to at the after party loved the film, which is true, but that wouldn't get us anywhere would it.
Ten months later and The Wedding Party still hasn't been released in cinemas. Funny that...
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